New At-Home Fertility Test Checks Your Guy's Sperm

Having problems getting pregnant is more common thank you think—one in eight couples will struggle with infertility, according to the National Infertility Association. And while women often blame themselves, the truth is that one-third of all infertility issues is on the man's side. But now there's a simple new way to check the quality of your guy's sperm: the FDA just announced approval of Trak, an at-home male infertility test. (Psst...Did you know physical therapy can help you get pregnant?)

In the past, when a guy was worried about his swimmers, he had to go to a fertility clinic and hope that he could block out the medical noise enough to aim a semen sample into the little cup. But with Trak, he can do it all in the comfort of his own home. He just needs to provide a sample (no directions needed for that, right?) and deposit said "sample" onto a slide using the dropper. A mini centrifuge separates his sperm from the rest of the ejaculate and a sensor counts them, giving him a quick reading of how high or low his sperm count is. The result is as accurate as those you get in the doctor's office, according to the company.

Sperm count is just one measure of male fertility, so Trak isn't enough to make a diagnosis. Still, it can help a man decide if he needs to seek out further medical evaluation. The kit will be available for sale in October.